We Don’t Do Contracts

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TOP 10 REASONS TO DO BUSINESS WITH PARALLEL EDGE

1. NO CONTRACTS: We do not, and have never, required you to sign a contract to work with us. We never want to be in a position where you are working with us because the contract says you must. We always want to put you in a position where you are working with us because we are doing our best, and right, work for you

2. YOU MATTER: As our client you are not a commodity. We have built our business on relationships that exceed the customer to vendor relationship, in fact we can be your trusted resource to help you manage any vendor that touches your technology framework be it SIP, IP, VOIP, IT or any other alphabetical variation that is attached to technology.

3. TRANSPARENCY: The recommendations we make will always be based on best practices determined by our experience working with a given solution. Recommendations will never be based on manufacturer incentives or other non-relevant factors. We will never “box you in” with a solution that ties you to us as your sole source.

4. COLLABORATION: If you follow our advice you will be happy – GUARANTEED. Let us collaborate with you to define a technology management program that works for you now and into the future.

5. ACCOUNTABILITY: If you are not happy we are not happy. You have the right to escalate ANY concern to whatever level you feel necessary. We will hear your concerns and work to be sure your concerns are addressed.

6. RIGHT FIT: We don’t force you into a predetermined plan. Our plans are starting points and we work with you to craft a plan that best fits your needs from a support and budgetary perspective. You can adjust the support level as needed at any time. This INCLUDES scaling us back. Remember the 2008 recession? Many of our clients scaled back as the economy slowed, and scaled back up as business improved.

7. LONG TERM: We have low turnover. Most IT providers see their technical staff come and go. At Parallel Edge we take pride in the fact that our staff has been with us for many years. Our employees stick around and so do our clients, we are proud to say that clients brought on board at our founding in 1996 are still with us today.

8. SERVICE FIRST: We are a service FIRST organization. Sales of “stuff” is not what drives us. Sure, we can sell you all the technology components you need, but that is a convenience for you, not a factor in how the decisions are made in determining the best solution for you.

9. NO BUNDLES: You know what they are, think Comcast or Verizon. Every service and product we support, sell, or recommend can be uncoupled. You get what you pay for and know what you are getting.

10. TRUSTWORTHY: The first point of the Scout Law, and we foster a culture internally that supports this important characteristic. We strive to earn your trust because in the end it makes it easier for us to do our job and easier for you to focus on other things.

Improve Productivity for Your Firm With IT Managed Services

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As an architect, you already have plenty on your plate. Technology doesn’t have to be one of those things. Partnering with an IT Managed Services provider can help. Development risks have significantly increased over the last few years for architects and architecture firms. Between a shortage of viable land to develop on at an affordable investment, to the complex and ever-changing landscape that is regulation, it can be difficult for architects and firms to operate at peak performance.

Improving how well your firm functions isn’t just a matter of having the best designs, the brightest minds in the room, or even how many clients you have these days. In order to truly get the most out of your firm, and be able to make processes more efficient and business more productive, then you need technology. Any technology won’t do either; you need technology solutions that help you accomplish what you want to do and meet goals.

Parallel Edge offers technology IT Managed Services solutions designed to help your business simplify processes and streamline operations. Instead of dealing with outdated and overly complicated technology infrastructure, we help you break it down in a way that makes sense for your company and makes it easier to manage.

We offer a wide range of IT Managed Services that help improve efficiency, productivity, and profitability with a keen eye on the future, which includes:

  • Strategic Technology Planning
  • Network Infrastructure and Systems Support
  • General Systems and Software Support
  • Hardware and Software installation
  • Equipment and Software Procurement
  • Secure Intranet/Extranet Development and Website Administration

CAD and Network Management services, along with other specialized services, are offered for the Architecture, Engineering and Construction Community.

Why Choose a Managed IT Solutions Provider

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Many small and medium-sized businesses actually hire more to save more money. Businesses are hiring a Managed IT Solutions provider (MSP) to cut costs, control IT, boost productivity, and to protect customers and clients. Businesses are good at delegating tasks and jobs to others, but too many are afraid to do the same with IT. It is time to give up on in-house IT solutions and trial-and-error security and software, and delegate the job to the professionals. Businesses owners are experiencing many benefits of using Managed IT Solutions, and we listed three of our favorites.

More Room in the Budget

One of the biggest myths surrounding Managed IT Solutions is exhausting costs. The idea of switching systems, overhauling the infrastructure, and hiring a company to monitor all of it scares business owners. The myth simply isn’t true. Managed Solutions may actually save your company as much as 30% per year in IT expenses. Managed Solutions operates through your current IP and does not require special hardware or devices to function. Managed IT Solutions is one of the only things in the technology world that is compatible across various devices and operating systems.

Managed IT Solutions permits business owners to cut costs considerably by eliminating the need for an in-house IT solution, or working in conjunction with the current IT team, by eliminating the need for costly repairs and service calls, and by keeping the system up and running at all times.

Better Security and Protection

According to the National Small Business Association 2013 security survey, 44% of businesses report being hacked. The costs associated with security intrusions soar to nearly $9,000 on average, and if credit data or personal information is obtained, a company usually forks over money to each customer and pays for credit monitoring services. Companies also have to pay professionals to identify and eradicate the intrusion. The costs pile on as the company’s image struggles to survive. Managed IT Solutions is an affordable way to provide customers with security knowing their personal data is protected, and to protect businesses from criminals. Managed IT Solutions include a security and risk audit, recommendations for maximum protection, proactive monitoring and support as needed, and prevention strategies. MSPs are up-to-date on the latest risks, they perform regular assessments, and processes are in place which ensure a business owner has unobstructed access to an expert.

Many industries have various regulatory and compliance requirements to which they are required by law to adhere. Managed IT Solutions’ comprehensive security and operating strategies ensure businesses remain compliant.

Promotes Growth

IT infrastructure is complex and requires daily diligence. If your employees are spending all their time wrapped up in IT issues, productivity tanks. Managed IT Solutions is an affordable way to provide a dependable and scalable system, without stretching resources too thin. Managed IT Solutions is tailored to suit your business’s needs at the time and can be revamped in the future to promote and support imminent growth.

Migration has been automated as well to improve the experience and increase the capacity of the system. In just a small amount of time, virtualization makes consolidation and migration simple and without downtime.

Data Backup for Business: Get the Most Out of It

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All businesses, large or small, need a backup disaster recovery (BDR) solution. There is no telling when a fire, flood, or any other catastrophic event can destroy your on-site data storage and keep you from working out of your home office to continue your business operations. The BDR is an excellent tool, but your business needs to be able to fully benefit from it with a clear plan of action in place when a disaster strikes. Here we discuss how to get the most out of data backup for business.

Get In the Know About Data Loss

Employees as well as the boss need to be educated on what can lead to data loss, including how risk can be limited due to human error. The entire team needs to sit down and be able to answer common questions about data loss which include:

  • What common occurrences result in data loss or a breach?
  • Who on the team is the one in charge of assessing this type of situation?
  • How will each individual scenario be handled?
  • Who is in charge of what actions?
  • When is the point that problems need to be communicated to an external entity?
  • What sort of follow-up should take place in each situation?

Once your team can answer these questions, you have a plan in place that goes beyond simply being able to recover lost data. The answers should be documented and circulated within the company so the staff has something to refer to in case a disaster strikes.

Periodic Review and Tests

Now that you have a documented and well thought out plan, it has to be reviewed periodically, to ensure that the plans are still up to date with what is needed to recover the business process. Get the team together every month or quarter and you’ll be able to stop any potential snags before they happen in real life. Another option to consider is an actual drill at least once a year, so the company knows that everyone is prepared to fulfill their role. The staff will also have a greater appreciation for the plan and understand that it is practical and not just theoretical. 

Use Only One Data Backup Solution  

The idea that “having several data backup managers makes for better security”, is false. The only time you would have multiple backup solutions is when you are using a different one for each feature, such as an individual solution for each separate operating system in the office. Otherwise, it makes much more sense to always go with one data backup solution that is cost-effective for your company and best suits your needs. The more you use multiple backup solutions, the more downtime and data loss you risk, since each solution is only backing up your data partially. You need to shop around and find one service provider who handles data backup for business that is able to encompassing all of your company’s technology and data needs. The data backup solution you choose should be able to replicate from anywhere: offsite, onsite or in the cloud. This feature is well worth any additional costs.

If you have questions about setting up a comprehensive plan to accompany your BDR, contact us today! Our knowledgeable staff is ready to address all of your concerns.

Customized Technology Solutions Over Flat-Rate IT

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One of the more popular, and most heavily promoted, forms of IT Support today is Flat-Rate IT services – otherwise known as Managed Services.

 

The perceived benefit of flat-rate IT services is that you would pay the same rate each month for a set of services meant to proactively monitor and support your technology infrastructure. These services are meant to eliminate problems before they cause downtime, and having a support team actively monitoring your network 24/7/365 is clearly a fantastic service.

The issue with this type of solution most businesses don’t realize is that IT Support is not a one-size-fits-all kind of deal. You can’t just pay for a flat-rate IT service and assume your very specific needs will be met. Most Managed Service providers offer a general set of solutions within that flat-rate program and charge you extra for anything else you may need not covered under their service offerings.

Our approach to how we offer Managed Services is a bit different in that our support solutions are fully customized to the needs of your business.

More is not always better!

Why would you pay someone the same amount for IT Support month after month if you don’t actually need support most of the time?

If a technology solutions provider sets up your technology correctly the first time, you won’t need as much support as is routinely offered with those flat-rate IT options. For many small and medium sized businesses, the level of support offered by those services is often more than what is actually needed.

With a customized technology solution, IT Support services are tailored to the specific needs of your business and you only pay for what you actually need – when you need it. This level of custom IT Support provides you with the peace of mind you need knowing your technology is in good hands, won’t cost you more than you genuinely need to pay, and you can then focus your attention to running your business and earning a healthy profit.

Top 5 Benefits of Using Managed Services

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Managed Services BenefitsYou may be the type of business owner who tries to do it all yourself. After all, if you want something done the right way – you should do it yourself! This way of thinking is actually getting in the way of achieving your business goals and experiencing a higher level of success. Managed Services is a technology solution that gives you the ability to put your focus on whatever it is your business does to make money – while leaving the technology to the experts.

Here are the top 5 benefits of using Managed Services:

1.    Re-Focus On Your Business

You really can’t do everything on your own. It will take you longer, and time spent troubleshooting technology problems or updating software is time lost on revenue-generating activities.  Using Parallel Edge’s Managed Service offerings gives you back the time you need to focus on growing your business.

2.    Gain Access to Experience and Resources You Don’t Have Internally

You probably don’t have an IT department with expertise in every possible area of technology out there. Outsourcing your IT needs with Parallel Edge gives you access to an experienced IT department without the costs of hiring a team of experts full-time within your organization.

3.    Stay Up to Date

It can be difficult to keep up with the constantly changing technologies, but when you don’t keep your software and equipment up to date – you put yourself at risk and at a competitive disadvantage.  Parallel Edge stays up to date with the changes for all of our clients, not just one – which allows us to mitigate the risks for you. We’ll keep your hardware and software up to date.

4.    Maximum Security

Our Managed Services offerings ensure your network stays secure from intruders with 256-bit RC4 encrypted communication with rolling keys. There are no open ports and no plain-text data packets to the network.

5.    Increase Productivity and Efficiency

Use our Managed Services offering to increase productivity and efficiency within your workplace. Start realizing your business goals faster when you can put your efforts on growing the business and implementing changes within your organization and leave the technology up to us.

 

Call or email us to learn more about how we can use technology and Managed Services to help your business reach its goals.